


Above a Sea of Leaves

by Kaycee_Columbell



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Description of past events, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Haggar mind-control stuff, Romance, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14754582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaycee_Columbell/pseuds/Kaycee_Columbell
Summary: The past month has been exhausting for Shiro. As it turns out, recovering from being mind-controlled can really wear a guy out.Now, relaxing on a peaceful planet for the day, Shiro reflects on what's happened. He can also finally ask a question he's been looking forward to for a long time.





	Above a Sea of Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> My first Volton fic! It's been a good while since I've written anything, so it was fun to get back into it. Enjoy!

In the end, it was fairly easy to convince the others to make a short pit stop before heading back to the Blade headquarters. Olkari was beautiful, but Shiro had been surrounded by beings the entire time there and was eager for some peace and quiet. 

He understood the precautions. He really did. The whole time he was being controlled by Haggar, the team had been convinced nothing was amiss - beyond Shiro acting out more than usual, which they were quick to attribute to his trauma. After finally contacting Lance on the astral plane, no matter how briefly, it was Keith who eventually pieced everything together. Learning of Lotor’s own experience with the witch, coupled with Shiro’s odd behavior, it didn’t take long for Keith to turn back into the unstoppable force that Shiro knew him to be. Voltron was quick to rally behind him - a fact that still makes Shiro smile - and together again, Haggar hadn’t stood a chance. That had been to whole point, in hindsight: to break Voltron apart from the inside, since she knew she could never do so herself. 

So yes, the Olkari people were the perfect precaution to make sure Shiro was 100% mind-control-free. Allura and Keith had even gone with him to the Balmera for a short while, so Shay and Rax could help guide him through various mindfulness techniques the Olkairi could not. The only downside to what should have been a relaxing month was that Shiro had been subjected to near constant mental stimulation, evaluations, and telepathic communication with dozens of beings. It was enough to make even the most patient person exhausted. And it definitely didn’t help that Slav had decided to stop by to ‘check up on his favorite paladin’. 

Now it was right back to the war. Zarkon and Haggar may be gone, but there is still an entire empire swarming in chaos. Which is why Shiro expected more resistance when he asked for one day spent on a peaceful, nature-filled planet they happened to be passing by. But it seemed like everyone was feeling a bit cramped, and agreed far more quickly than he imagined. So far, everything in his plan was going smoothly.

The planet is completely covered in trees and great lakes. All the leaves are orange and yellow, creating a feeling of perpetual fall. The lake the castle landed near is green and clear, with the pebbled lakebed visible no matter the depth. A large rock was visible a ways into the forest, only the top poking out of the sea of leaves. Shiro immediately knew that that rock is where he would ask. The lake, the trees, everything, was perfect for what he wanted to do. Now he just had to get them there.

Which also ended up being far easier than he thought.

“Okay, so I don’t know about you guys but I’ve seen enough trees on Olkari to last me a few hundred years. If you need me, I’ll be near the water.” Hunk was quick to say the second everyone walked outside. “Oh, and Lance, you better be coming too because I still got some things to say about that stunt you pulled back on that one planet with all the weird air-seaweed.”

“Sure, sure. But I gotta warn you, Hunk, my man, that I’m just as clever with normal seaweed as the air variety, so you’re gonna have to CATCH ME FIRST.” 

“Hey! Not cool dude! Pidge and Pidge’s bro, help me from this side. Allura and Coran, cut him off from that one!”

“You know I’m not actually a part of this.”

“I’ll make you non-Kaltenecker milkshakes for a month.”

“Deal.”

As the majority of the team ran off in pursuit of Lance, Shiro couldn’t help but smile at their antics, even as he desperately tried to think of the best excuse possible to nonchalantly get Keith to that rock.

“I’m not sure I’d like to know the story behind that one,” said paladin stated, just as a familiar weight placed itself on Shiro’s shoulder. “So what do you want to do?”

Shiro looked sideways into Keith’s steady gaze, always amazed by how much he seemed to read his mind like an open book. Unlike the prodding consciousness of the Olkari or Balmera, Keith’s presence never exhausted him. In fact, it was one of the few places Shiro could fully relax, confident in Keith’s uncanny knack for sensing danger and content knowing that Keith would not be there if he didn’t want to be. Keith chose to stay with him. Shiro, already set on his objective, found himself even more determined than ever to show Keith that he will always choose to stay with him, too. Walking through the trees, hand-in-hand with his favorite person, Shiro finally felt the peace he’d been looking for.

It had taken Keith nearly the entire past month to convince Shiro that he wasn’t at fault for what Haggar did. Even so, Shiro’s heart ached for his best friend. Keith had been virtually left behind by those he was finally opening up to, Shiro no better than anyone else. Though good things had come of it, Krolia being a major one, Shiro wishes more than anything that Keith hadn’t been forced to find his own path while completely separated from the team. Mind-controlled Shiro had been a Grade-A jerk to everyone, but especially to Keith. Haggar had known he was the most dangerous to her plan, and Shiro hated that he had been the one to push Keith away.

Now, with Keith back as the Red Paladin of Voltron and apologies already forgiven, the two of them look up from the base of the boulder. The top disappeared into the canopy above. 

“Easy,” Keith said, already starting up the side. About ten feet up, he looked back to reach a hand toward Shiro, who had been shamelessly staring after him. “Come on then. Allura said we only have until nightfall, then the whole planet turns carnivorous.”

“Eaten by a planet. What a way to go,” Shiro jokes, grabbing Keith's hand to heave himself upward.

It doesn’t take as long as Shiro thought to reach the top of the boulder, and takes even less time for him to realize that he hadn’t even planned what to say. He should be nervous - he was earlier this week, when first running the idea by Matt - yet sitting next to Keith, fingers tangled together, looking out into an ocean of fall leaves and crystal water, Shiro was nothing but excited. He found himself nearly too excited to even ask. He knew what Keith’s answer would be - had always known what Keith’s answer would be. That’s probably the only reason he had waited until now - during a time of calm, on a perfect planet, far away from the nearest battle site.

“Whatever it is that you can’t stop smiling about must be pretty nice,” Keith said, squeezing his hand gently. 

“Yes, you are,” Shiro automatically responded, feeling his smile only grow wider as Keith blushed, eyes wide. Well, he thought, there’s no time like the present.

“In all seriousness, though, I love you. I know we both prefer quiet dedication over loud exclamations of love, but I would do anything it takes to make sure you know how much I care about you.”

“Shiro, it’s okay. You don’t have to keep trying to make up for what Haggar did.”

“I know,” Shiro continued, his heart lighter than it’s been in a long time, “I’m doing this one for myself.”

It was endearing to watch Keith’s face turn slightly confused, fondness for Shiro’s antics still winning out even as he tries to decipher what’s happening.

“Keith, I could say a thousand things about what you mean to me and I still wouldn’t cover them all. I like to pretend I’m good with words but, ironically, you are much better with them then me. So I’ll be blunt: I want to spend the rest of my life with you, which is hopefully fairly obvious by this point. But I’m nothing if not a romantic at heart. So. Keith Kogane, will you marry me?”

Shiro watched closely, grinning from ear to ear, as Keith parsed through about twenty different thought processes at once. His face showed them all, open, ecstatic, and incredulous, before refocusing on Shiro.

“Me? You want to marry me?”

“Yes. Very much, actually. I would have thought that’d be clear by now.”

“Well, you’ve made the boyfriend thing pretty clear but husband? Me?”

With his free hand, Shiro gently reached out to Keith’s shoulder, guiding him slightly closer so that Keith, ever the tactile person, could know how serious he was.

“I can imagine no one better to say I’m married to. Keith, you embody everything that I never thought I could have by my side. I’m still a bit amazed that you chose me in the first place.”

“What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I choose you, you idiot.” Ah, there’s the fierce attitude he loved.

“So that’s a yes?” Shiro beamed.

“Is that even a question. Don’t doubt me.” 

“I could never doubt you.”

“Then yes.”

Unable to contain themselves anymore, both men were quick to latch onto each other, awkwardly tilted in their still-sitting positions on the rock, yet far too happy to care. Shiro found himself laughing, clinging to Keith even tighter as he felt his now-fiance smiling into his shoulder. Quickly pulling back, Shiro kissed him soundly. It didn’t last long, since neither of them could tamp down their excitement, but as he looked into Keith’s eyes, open and trusting, Shiro knew they had a long time ahead of them to enjoy each other. He would make sure of it. Keith had taken care of him for so long and Shiro was thrilled to get the chance to return the favor, as the official husband of the most amazing man he’s ever met.

“I love you so much.” It was a fact that came straight from his soul. A fact that he would never downplay again, witch or no witch, war be damned. He would hold onto Keith just as dearly as Keith had always held onto him.

“I love you.”


End file.
